Chaotique Praesentia
by CyberForte
Summary: A chain reaction of escalating events stemming from one minor change. Who knew that four people failing to board a helicoptor could change the fate of the world? But then, what is Chaos but Order in a sophisticated mask...?
1. Prelude: Patriotism

Symphony No. 7 in G Minor Op. 9

"_Chaotique Praesentia_"

(A Neon Genesis Evangelion FanFiction by CyberForte)

Disclaimer

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all associated characters, concepts, situations, et cetera are copyright to Gainax. This is strictly a work of FanFiction and is not intended to violate the aforementioned copyrights, nor to earn any capital for the author. All original characters, concepts, situations, text, and portrayals are copyright to myself (CyberForte), but they may be used by any other wishing to do so as long as credit is given to myself (CyberForte).

Prelude

"Patriotism"

"You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out."

-William Tecumseh Sherman

If one were of the poetic sort and given to metaphorical excess, one might say that the skies of Tokyo-3 rained forth the unshed tears of its people. As it was, however, it was just raining. Not an unusual condition for a city of a nation who's only seasonal experience had been summer for fifteen years. And, under this dreary drizzle, a handful of those who lived within the city had gathered--mostly those who worked for the NERV Organization, although several members of an eighth-grade class from a city high school had turned out as well.

Among those present, two distinctive groups had appeared; those who were dressed in civilian clothing and those who wore the black dress-uniform bearing the fig leaf and "God's in His heaven, All's right with the world." As might be expected, the former were more spread out, forming a loose semi-circle around the uniformed portion. The latter was comprised, for the most part, of seven individuals of note and several not. Among those worthy of said note were Doctor Ritsuko Akagi, Chairperson of Project E, Technical Division I, Operations Director Misato Katsuragi, Sub-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki, Ryoji Kaji, Pilot Shinji Ikari, Pilot Rei Ayanami, and Supreme Commander Gendo Ikari.

Arrayed in a somewhat **U**-shaped formation, these individuals surrounded a wooden box slightly larger than a person, and their expressions ranged from unreadable to abject horror to seeming disinterest. Regardless, all stood at attention, with Gendo at the forefront, Fuyutsuki, Akagi, and Kaji to his right and Misato, Shinji, and Rei to his left. Behind this configuration, perhaps ten feet back, four nondescript JSSDF soldiers, or possibly agents (one couldn't tell with the uniforms U.N. that they wore) surrounded a freshly dug hole, the shovels presumably used to excavate it not far away.

Although morbid, one might say that it was good that the NERV Uniforms were black; they matched the similarly colored attire of those in the semicircle, which one might note had enough black umbrellas to be seen from several thousand feet above. After all, what other color uniforms would look right at a funeral as much as a dress parade? Not that NERV had many of either, it should be said; this was a special case. And a strange one, considering that only two present had personally known the deceased.

Regardless, the staff of NERV had gathered to show its respect to their fallen compatriot. It seemed only fitting that she at least be given this final miniscule measure of appreciation; although it was not rare for people to perish in war _per se_, it seemed prudent to show that they cared about this particular case. If they didn't, the cynical natures of the higher powers had realized, the others might not quite be so willing to risk a similar fate, knowing that they might not even be remembered...

Contrary to what one might have surmised by this point, this ceremony was held not at the cemetery where the marker to Yui Ikari stood watch o'ver a similarly vacant box. Rather, its existence had begun within the structure of NERV HQ and proceeded with a solemn dignity to a small park that was not far off--also within the structure known as the GeoFront. It was here that they now stood, as those looking on awaited to see what the Supreme Commander would say--many were surprised that he had attended.

And, in truth, despite his unreadable outward appearance, he himself was rather wishing that he had not. Gendo Ikari was not a man given to public speaking, to phrase it mildly. He had only come because Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko had coerced him into it, in a way. They had explained that it was necessary to put a human face on NERV, and that if he did not, Shinji, if not Rei, might become yet _more_ troublesome about doing his job, and right now, that would completely destroy the scenario. As such, here he was, preparing to give a speech. Or so everyone thought...

After one glance about, which was unseen by the world due to his glasses, the bearded man then...stepped aside, indicating Katsuragi, "Major Misato Katsuragi." It was the perfect fusion of introduction, quiet command, and disinterest. And, of course, the purple-haired woman had little choice but to do as he said, considering that her job was probably at stake, and moreover, that she _was_ a lot more qualified than he was to speak. Though she _really_ would have appreciated some warning; she had no idea what to say. Still, orders were orders...

Nodding slightly, her face still retaining a somewhat anguished expression, she stepped forward and into the void that Gendo had left at the forefront of the formation. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to compose herself, then spoke, "I know that most of you here never knew Asuka... That privilege was taken away from you, and that of meeting you from her, by this horrible war that we're engaged in. But even so, the war has not ended here; the Angels won't relent until they have succeeded in destroying humanity or we have destroyed them! But even so, we cannot forget the sacrifices made along the way. You may not have known Asuka... but she died for you! She died for all of us; fighting for humanity's future. we can't let ourselves get so caught up in the big picture that we ignore the small things. And so... thank you all for being here today."

And so, by the time she retreated from the epicenter of attention with more than a few tears streaming down her face to mix with the incessant drizzle and her voice having evolved an anguished tone, the only notable figures in attendance who seemed unmoved were Gendo and Ayanami. And no one expected them to be, or to show it if they were, so that was acceptable. For an impromptu speech, it had turned out most excellently.

In any case, once the respectful silence had passed, one of the four U.N, soldiers raised a silver plated trumpet in preparation for the customary rendition of _Taps_, which would be echoed by a second hidden trumpeter. Both preformed flawlessly, as expected; it had been rumored that they'd been brought in from the still prestigious United States Marine Core Band, an institution that had seemingly outlived its host military by quite a bit. In any case, once the mournful notes had ceased, the trumpet was stowed and the remaining three UN Soldiers in view took up rifles.

At this, the still tearful (but thankfully lucid) Misato again stepped out of formation, hardening her voice as much as she was able in order to shout the commands to present arms, then to aim (into the sky) and fire. This was repeated seven times; a twenty-one gun salute, it seemed. Once this was done, the entire formation of NERV personal split apart somewhat. It seemed they were vacating enough space for the UN Soldiers to move around the casket, one to each corner handle. These were taken up, and they moved forward with a clipped but fittingly largo step until the empty box had been placed directly over the hole that was to be its final destination.

It might be noted at this juncture that almost no thought had been given to inviting a priest of any sort to preside; not only was religion primarily dead at this point (except the zealots who went on about God's judgment and other such rubbish), but it seemed highly irreverent to invoke anything holy (especially Christian, which would have been the assumed faith of a German girl) at the funeral of one killed fighting "Angels." As such, the respect given was entirely secular, and no one took it into their heads to object, or at least not aloud. Gendo Ikari's reactions to such foolery was the stuff of local legend, it might be said, the reason being that no one guilty of it had been seen alive and willing to talk again, making it dreadfully hard to clear up the reality of the matter.

Now, without a word, Katsuragi, Kaji, Ayanami, and the younger Ikari each moved forward, taking hold of ropes which had been lain into the hole, the former duo taking the ends of one and the latter the ends of the other. The males were to the left, the females to the right, if one were to watch from the semicircle. Then, slowly, the U.N. Soldiers lowered the pinewood rectangle onto the ropes, and with tedious slowness, the ropes were let go in equal increments. And, miraculously, despite a near-slip from the still shocked Third Child, the process went off without any major blunders.

Finally, the NERV personnel formed back into a **U**-shape, although this time without as much space in the center, and began a slow procession back into NERV HQ as the semicircle disbanded. In the background, the soldiers had taken up their shovels once more. Asuka Langley Sohryu had been laid to rest, in spirit, if not in form. The dead of the war had been given their respect; now it was time for the living to return to the grim task ensuring that they remained as such...

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Several hours later, once all affairs concerning the funeral had been dealt with, the Supreme Commander and Sub-Commander of NERV met in the former's office, their grim mood being born of reasons very different from those of most others in the facility. Still, they seemed to not neglect the traditional chess game which generally accompanied discussions. Fuyutsuki spoke first, as was customary, "It looks as if the damage to Unit-02 isn't as bad as we feared. It's mostly superficial; the pilot drowned or suffocated after losing power in the Angel's mouth, not as a direct result of combat."

Ikari moved a piece, then nodded, "Excellent. What is the projected timeframe for the repairs?" As ever, his words were few in number, and the question sliced straight to the matter's core; if he didn't address Sohryu's death, it was because they could do nothing to change it, and as such, his attention was much better spent on things that _could_ be effected. Like the fact that they only had one functional Eva at present...

"A few days. It could be ready faster if we had a pilot other than Rei, but since we _must_ use her, some refitting is necessary." He then moved a piece in turn; balancing chess and conversation was an art perfected by both of the men present. In many ways, it was their only pleasure or entertainment.

Another nod from the bearded man whose eyes were unreadable on account of reddish sunglasses, "Very well. The old men will not like this at all; it goes against their scenario. They rely too much on the scrolls. In any case, it is imperative that Unit-02 is restored before the next Angel arrives." A move again, followed by, fittingly, an afterthought, "And make certain that the coloration is properly converted."

Sighing internally, Fuyutsuki nodded. It didn't make much sense to him, but when it came to Rei, the older man always had trouble reading what passed for his friend. One minute, he would throw caution into the wind and rush off to save her at his own peril, then the next he would put her in a high-danger situation. Why should the fact that he was acquiescing to her tastes now seem strange? And the colored armor was on hand anyway, he supposed, having been prepared for the refitting of Unit-00... Ah, that reminded him, "What should be done about the refitting of Unit-00?"

With the equivalent of a shrug (to those who knew him), the Supreme Commander replied, "Postpone it until the repairs on Unit-02 are completed. We cannot risk attempting them simultaneously; it would risk being caught with a single Eva on call." In the space of this exchange, two moves passed almost unnoticed.

"Very well." A pause now; quite pronounced. Neither spoke as Fuyutsuki contemplated his next move and Gendo scanned through the endless paperwork that tended to pour in. Contrary to popular belief, his spare time wasn't spent with whips, chains, needles, and Rei, nor did it include pornographic collections of NERV employees; it, to be blunt, didn't exist. The only reason that his desk was not entirely swamped in paper was the prompt and ceaseless nature with which it was dealt with by the Supreme Commander.

Finally, the aging man moved a piece, and then took a metaphorical deep breath, "Do you think that the other Children will be affected significantly by this occurrence? The Third seemed quite...distraught." Well, there went the plunge; of all the subjects on the meeting's agenda, he had hesitated to include that one. Risking Gendo Ikari's ridicule was not wise, or again, so the legends said.

Thankfully, this seemed to be a valid question to his superior, and the bearded man gave it and his next mood equal thought. After a few moments of this, he both replied and made his move, "Do not be concerned. Little could worsen the Third's mental state, and Rei's loyalty is not in doubt. She will act as a moderating influence."

Fuyutsuki had doubts of this, but the fact that the man didn't seem to care combined with his ambiguous response equated, in some deeper level of the Sub-Commander's mind, to Gendo having a plan in motion as it was. And frankly, Fuyutsuki decided, he'd really rather _not_ know, since it would probably be yet another violation of his long-suffering morals. Saving humanity could be said to be an extremely sinful and hellish business...

In any case, he'd best go and carry out his former student's will. If he dallied much longer, he could be responsible for Unit-02 not being prepared in the case of an Angel incursion, and it didn't take legends or rumors to know that such a thing would inevitably result in extreme unpleasantness. As such, he moved another piece, then rose, "Very well, Ikari. I'll report anything else of note that arises. In the meantime, I shall see to it that the repairs on Unit-02 are carried out in accordance to your orders."

Once Gendo gave him a nod of dismissal, the graying former professor rose and made an unceremonious exit that entailed all of walking out the office door. Behind him, his superior was already engaged in fighting back the tide of paperwork that came with running NERV once more.

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Author's Notes

[Author's Notes removed because the author is really tired of people responding to them instead of the story. The author further believes that his opinions of Asuka are irrelevant to the story's content and as such requests that no further reviews attacking his previously stated opinions of her relative importance be submitted.


	2. Movement I: Fortune Plango Vulnera

Symphony No. 7 in G Minor Op. 9

"_Chaotique Praesentia_"

(A Neon Genesis Evangelion FanFiction by CyberForte)

Disclaimer

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all associated characters, concepts, situations, et cetera are copyright to Gainax. This is strictly a work of FanFiction and is not intended to violate the aforementioned copyrights, nor to earn any capital for the author. All original characters, concepts, situations, text, and portrayals are copyright to myself (CyberForte), but they may be used by any other wishing to do so as long as credit is given to myself (CyberForte).

First Movement

"Fortune Plango Vulnera"

"I lament the wounds that Fortune deals With tear-filled eyes, For, returning to the attack, She takes her gifts from me."

-Carl Orff, _Carmina Burana_.

As one might expect, Shinji Ikari's synchronization scores were down by several points the next day. It was expected, so no one bothered to say much about it; as long as they went back up before the next Angel appeared, he would be allowed his depression. And, of course, Rei's score was as intransient as ever. No one was surprised. The joke had been made by a bored tech once that Rei would not even bat an eyebrow if Third Impact were to take place, so why would they expect anything from a mere death? Besides, only Katsuragi (who had pleaded ill for the day) had even known the dead girl. Needless to say, no one had laughed.

In any case, Shinji left the pyramid that was NERV HQ in a slump, not really seeming to notice the rain that continued to fall. The GeoFront had its own miniature weather patterns, surprisingly; it wasn't that different from that which might develop in the lower levels of a rainforest, or maybe in a sealed jar. And, since much rainwater had seeped into the cavern's interior over time, it oft rained, especially when outside atmospheric conditions made said precipitation more likely, as they did upon this day.

That aside, Shinji didn't feel especially like going home in his present state of mind. He really wasn't feeling up to facing Misato, especially since her grief was, well... real. She had a right to it; she'd known the girl. That made it very hard for Shinji, in his more...selfish "grief," which was really fear, to face her. But, if he remembered correctly, the park with her grave stone in it wasn't too far away... Maybe he could go there and think for a while?

And so, perhaps ten minutes later, mostly do to the despondent mood of the boy (which translated to slow motion and bad direction), he found himself seated on a park bench near the still-fresh grave, with the rain continuing to saturate his unresisting form. But, again due to the mood, he was beyond caring. It was odd, really; he had oft found himself not caring about his existence before coming here, and even early in his piloting days... but, now, he was sitting by a grave and rather than mourning, he was wondering (or worrying, more accurately)... Maybe he would be the next to join the one interred within.

What was it that he'd heard once when he was younger? _Irony abounds in warfare._ Yes, that was it. Some famous commander had said it, he guessed. It didn't really matter. It was true. Becoming involved in the war had given his life meaning and substance, but with the other hand, that very war threatened to take away not only the meaning, but the life itself. And he was actually afraid of it. It was...astounding. He _didn't want to die_!

With this realization, a small part of his mind tried to urge him to go home. If he didn't want to die, shouldn't he try to maximize his time alive? But, the main part of his mind was still too afraid. And too ashamed. How could he face Misato with his selfish melancholy when she deserved to grieve? It was just too daunting and too shameful. He had no right to add his fear for himself to the already crushing burden on the woman who'd been so kind to him thus far.

As such, Shinji's mind drifted, attempting to escape from the present. However, considering his location, the first thing to come to mind was quite unwanted, yet inescapable. It had started out as a fairly boring day...

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Before school, Misato had mentioned in passing the Second Child being en route, but she hadn't elaborated and he hadn't asked, having to leave soon after. As such, he'd gone to school with Touji and Kensuke as usual, and things had been quiet until about noon.

At that high hour, however, the threads spun by the fates had changed in composition, with a pattern of discord emerging; he and Rei had each been summoned from school with messages from NERV that identified the call as urgent, yet the Angel Attack sirens hadn't issued a peep, and no one was being evacuated. It was all highly bizarre, but of course there were no questions asked; the two Children came as ordered. They would be briefed on arrival, and even Shinji couldn't fault Gendo's planning procedures in battle.

That said, the trip to the NERV facility was tense, dull, and somewhat awkward, considering that any attempt to strike up conversation with his companion, Rei Ayanami, was (unintentionally?) blunted by her tendency to give one-or-two word deadpan answers and his own awkwardness, making it a self-propagating cycle. As such, most of the trip was blanketed in a sort of dead silence that could pass for comfortable at a mile without your glasses on, but becomes a clear void upon any closer inspection. Thankfully, it wasn't too far, and once the NERV complex had been entered, the people-movers expedited the two pilots to the control room; what might be thought of as the "NERV Center."

Upon arrival, they were greeted by a furor of activity, amidst which Misato Katsuragi stood like a stone wall...or at least a person not quite sure what to do. Shinji couldn't quite tell which of the two his guardian was analogous to, but it quickly became moot; once she caught sight of them, she reanimated, quickly reaching them. This done, she wasted no time beginning to explain the situation in a manner that oft made the introvert wonder if the purple-haired woman suffered from some form of split-personalities.

In any case, the situation outlined by the operations' director was thus; circa 11:30 AM JST, contact was lost with _Over the Rainbow_, flagship of the UN's pacific fleet, with the final transmissions being an SOS; the fleet was apparently under attack. Analysis of the vicinity had confirmed NERV's worst fears; it had been an Angel. This was confirmed in the form of a transmission from a AV-8B Harrier II V/STOL Jet, apparently transporting the only two survivors from the fleet. When the vehicle had departed, the pilot reported, Evangelion Unit-02 had been engaged in battle with an unknown force that was tentatively identified as the Sixth Angel.

Considering that radar and satellite imaging had been unable to detect the fleet, NERV was assuming the worst and postulating that the fleet, along with Unit-02, had been defeated, and that the Angel was en route to Tokyo-3. Although its speed and exact path were unknown, the data collected suggested that the Angel would reach land at the point most economical, meaning that it would be on the line between the ambush and Tokyo-3. And since the speed was unknown, with only one Eva Unit available for intercept, Unit-01 was being stationed in the target zone as soon as the transition to D-Type equipment could be made.

The reason for this, explained Ritsuko (who had managed to join the group without anyone noticing), was that the most probably cause of Unit-02's assumed defeat was the inability to operate in a sub-marine environment with B-type equipment. Thus, despite the D-type's awkwardness in a terran environment, it would allow underwater operation and enhanced maneuverability. The mother-of-all-technophiles then also noted that the D-type equipment was actually an overlay of the B-type, and that it could be jettisoned if necessary.

And so it was that, at around 1 PM JST, Evangelion Unit-01 (clad in the bulky white diver's suit that was the D-type equipment) was airlifted into position on the Japanese coast, and the long game of waiting for an unknown enemy that was _probably_ on its way at an unknown speed, _probably_ going to attack somewhere near you, and _probably_ aquatic began. Needless to say, it was... utterly and terribly dull, once the initial terror drained out. And he couldn't even really talk to anyone--he dare not distract the inhabitants of the mobile command trailer, Rei was not only bad conversation but incommunendo within said center, waiting by a reserve entry-plug as the auxiliary pilot, and he had no way to communicate with Touji or Kensuke, as the D-type armor's thickness and makeup disallowed use of a cell phone (not that he would have called anyway...).

In any case, just as soldiers everywhere throughout history, Shinji was experiencing the "joys" of military life; great periods of extreme boredom, punctuated at unpredictable intervals with moments of sheer terror, adrenaline, and hell. As it happened, however, it did not take a great deal longer for one of the latter to make itself known. Surprisingly, there was actually some warning, though; active sonar that had been deployed by NERV (and linked to both the command trailer and the Eva's display) picked up a rapidly closing blip of quite notable size, which prompted Misato to order the sortie.

Considering the circumstances, this consisted of two main steps; getting the Eva into the water and preparing it for combat. The former was fairly simple, as one might imagine; after unreeling several thousand meters of cable (a great deal had been provided, for obvious reasons), Shinji simply jumped off the demi-cliff, causing a miniature tidal wave. The second was a bit more complicated, as Shinji had zero prior experience with maneuvering the diving-suit-esque setup, especially the lag-time that the aquatic environment would cause in movements. Not only that, but the vertical component of combat in this medium was mostly unfamiliar to him, being _very_ different from the limited vertical component offered by jumping on land.

Weapons, too, would be a challenge; although the progressive knife (relocated to an ankle sheathe) remained in his possession, a palette rifle wouldn't work underwater, nor would any of the other conventional weaponry he had been training in the usage of, mainly due to the density of the water itself. Conventional weaponry would sheer itself apart from pure frictional resistance. As such, the only available weapon aside from the knife was a prototypical harpoon gun, designed for this environment, but not at all finished.

All in all, Shinji was at a near-complete disadvantage, especially with the Angel being obviously capable of high speeds in submarine environments, as evidenced by the sonar readings indicating that it was closing at a rate perhaps equal to a nuclear submarine's flank speed. As such, there would be little-to-no time to further prepare, as it would be coming into visual range right about--and then, on the horizon, a disturbance could be seen. Shinji, quite nervous, continued to watch it grow for a few seconds; until the shouted orders from the command trailer permeated his brain. Once this occurred, he did as instructed and took the Eva down; D-Type Equipment had more advantages in the deep than it did on the surface, and so he would face his adversary from below.

Lowering to a depth that would theoretically put him below the leviathan's path, Shinji slightly shakily prepared the harpoon gun, sighting it as best he could whilst trying not to think about the fact that he was submerged in several hundred feet of water. _Water_. Why in the name of God did he have to fight in the _water?_ Humans were not meant to float, and Shinji unconsciously extended the thought to his Eva, since it practically was him. And what better proof could he be asked for than the fact that he was _under_ water? Of course, none of these thoughts were helped much by his first visual impression of the Angel, which occurred a second or so later.

Out of the perpetual under-sea gloom shot a (living) torpedo, light tan with a touch of red in hue. As for shape, from what the boy could make up, it was mostly oblong, with the front being a large beak-like protrusion (which was presently closed) and spreading out into several fin-like flaps towards the rear. The greatest aspect of its impression, though, was its sheer _size_. The gargantuan sea-beast was easily on a scale that would allow it to devour the Eva in a single gulp and still have room for a large serving of sushi ala seawater.

So vast and awing was this beast upon approach that Shinji's finger failed to make the necessary movements that would fire the harpoon gun, and by the time he was prepared to, the beast had completed its first pass. For a moment, it seemed as if it had failed to notice the Eva, but any hope of this was quickly quashed as its course shifted, making a slow but graceful rightward loop. Understandably, the prospect of the leviathan coming at him head-on jarred Shinji out of his trance, and he quickly did his best to maneuver upward to compensate for the Angel's downward motion. As he did so, a rush of bubbles escaped the suit's backpack; it, although on a massive scale, was still an air-powered propulsion system.

So, as his foe gracefully arced around to charge him, Shinji and Unit-01 moved vertically in a graceless but expedient accent, locking the Angel into his targeting system as best he could in the process...

From the time that the first shot was loosed at the Angel to the battle's climax, however, his memory wasn't quite so good. The first shot had impacted on the Angel's AT Field, and from that point on, things had gotten hellish. There had been several passes as the two circled, with neither side getting close enough to do any damage; Shinji had to deal with its AT Field, making the harpoon gun useless from a distance, and the Angel itself was incapable of any long-range combat whatsoever.

After the first few passes, the battle had gotten hellish, though; with no other solution presenting itself, he had been forced to dangle Unit-01 as bait for the attacking monster, allow it to come close enough for the AT Fields to cancel, then attempt to fire at the core within its gaping maw. This, of course, had been greatly complicated by several factors, especially the battered figure of a dead crimson Eva caught between the teeth and the fact that it was almost impossible to get a lock on the tiny core before having to pull up or risk being consumed.

As such, with near-misses exhausting the majority of his harpoon supply, Ritsuko had proposed a risky plan that had been inspired by a passing reference by Misato to "harpoons and tow cables;" Shinji would connect the power cable from Unit-01 to a harpoon and fire it into the Angel's mouth. Once the cable stuck, the voltage would be intensified from the control trailer and not only create the world's largest fish-fry (to which the D-type equipment would keep Unit-01 immune), but hopefully allow the Angel to be stunned long enough for Shinji to jet inside and knife it's core.

It was a brilliant idea, really, but his stomach had sunken all the same when ordered to carry it out; what if the Angel wasn't stunned? What if the armor didn't stop the shock from affecting him? What if he couldn't get out after he killed it? ...but still, orders were orders, and Ritsuko didn't exactly give him the opportunity to decline. Besides, it wasn't like there was an easier way...

And so it was that he had ended up diving into the mouth of the great leviathan as it writhed in anguish from the electricity, and presumably hammering his progressive knife into the exposed core until it fractured. His next clear memory was of furiously jetting towards the surface as the Angel had fell away below and the numbers had rushed towards zero on his power indicator...

He had made it, of course, and passed out soon after breaking the surface, the adrenaline wearing off and the lack of anything else to do as he had awaited retrieval setting in.

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That had been three days ago now. The terror of it had worn off after the first, and he had soon begun to develop his characteristic melancholy again, especially once the fates of the Pacific Fleet and the pilot of Unit-02 were confirmed. Then there had been the funeral, and some talk afterward of Unit-02's salvage hadn't interested him. And now he was out of things to think about, but still could not justify to himself returning home to face Misato.

As such, he did not move, continuing to sit in the ceaseless rain for quite some time, oblivious to the happenings of the world. Quite the disadvantageous situation, but one with no foreseeable escape, at least in the mind of Shinji Ikari. Another might have simply stated or presumed that misery would love company, and thus have returned home to Misato. But, if this were another, the situation would be completely irrelevant to our tale. However, I digress...

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Elsewhere on NERV grounds, another pilot was feeling the repercussions of the Second's death, although she was not yet aware of this yet. Following the synch test, Rei Ayanami had, as ordered, reported to Gendo Ikari's office. It was not unusual that the Commander wished to see her after a test, and so nothing seemed amiss at all to her. In any case, she arrived silently as usual, reporting her presence in a deadpan tone only after Gendo had completed the reading of his current paper. She was one of the few individuals privy to the amount of paperwork that the man was perpetually swamped in, especially after an Angel attack, and so knew better than to disturb him in the midst of one.

Once she did report, the black-clad man nodded without looking up, indicating (to her experienced mind) that he would be with her in a moment. As such, the quasi-albino female remained perfectly still as she awaited; patience was one of her greatest fortes, if for no other reason than that her life had been comprised of a great deal of waiting up to this point. In any case, waiting a few minutes for her superior to conclude his present work was no great strain, and so she did so without any complaint, vocal or otherwise--that is to say that she did not fidget or otherwise demonstrate subtle displeasure with having to wait.

Finally, after perhaps five minutes, Gendo was able to set aside one of his endless piles of paper and rise. Beckoning Rei to accompany him, the First Commander then strode out of the room and through the corridors of NERV with purpose. And it was not long before the duo arrived in, strangely, the small restaurant that had been magnanimously permitted to set up within the GeoFront for the use of employees. It was cheaper and more efficient for the administration to allow this than to provide its own refreshment, so Gendo had been quick to institute the system, especially since it also gave him the ideal settings for things of this sort.

As they had done oft before, the two sat together at a table, not bothering to order anything; the staff knew well their preferences, and would soon arrive with the items in question. As such, First Commander and First Child were left to freely discuss anything they might. Gendo, of course, initiated the exchanges, most of which were answered in a single word. This was a trait he was quite proud of in the girl, and indeed one that he had purposefully instilled. It almost made him sad to think that he was about to start her down a path that might destroy it, but Sohryu's death had forced his hand. Accursed unreliable Germans.

No matter, though; theoretically, what he intended would benefit all concerned. And so, after the normal questions relating to school and her general condition, he prepared to plant a seed into the girl's pliable mind. "Very good. And what of the Third Child? Have your interactions been satisfactory?"

"Indeed."

Well, perhaps there were times when one-word answers weren't so good. Ah well... Better not to rush things anyway. Taking a bite of his salad, which had arrived at some point in the conversation, Gendo nodded, "Very well. His actions in the recent Angel incidents have been commendable." Actually, he was somewhat disconcerted at the level of concern that his biological son had shown for Rei, and even more so by the fact that Shinji's actions in rescuing her had almost exactly mirrored his own, but he wouldn't dream of letting that show.

Nodding, Rei the hesitated; although it was not her style to add such things, it seemed relevant... "His actions in the aftermath of the fifth Angel were most... confusing to me."

Gendo too nodded, "Indeed." He would venture no further comment for the moment; manipulation was not a process to be rushed, not even with Rei, and he had learned what he needed. Next time, he could water the seed a bit more, and perhaps the Third would be convenient and add mulch with his actions, though Gendo would not count on this. In any case, discussion moved onwards as the two continued to eat, though silence reigned before they were finished. Once the meal was done, both arose and exited separately.

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Author's Notes

[The author apologizes for posting this chapter twice. Had to delete it once. He also regrets being unable to post further notes, but desires more strongly to avoid a repeat of last time. He appreciates reviews.


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